Category Archives: British history

Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, Part II

Posted on April 3, 2020 by

Previously, we looked at how some servants chose to emigrate to Australia rather than to remain in England. You may find that discussion HERE:  Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, Part I  An article entitled “Mistress and Maid” … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, Part I

Posted on March 27, 2020 by

In the mid to late 1840s, many girls in service decided to make the arduous journey from England to Australian ports. One must remember that the journey took three to four months to complete, depending upon the weather and the … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, business, commerce, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Celebrating the Release of “Courting Lord Whitmire: A May-December Regency Romance” + a Giveaway

Posted on March 25, 2020 by

The hero of my latest Regency tale has spent fifteen years of his life is service to the Crown, first upon the Continent in the Napoleonic Wars and then upon the Canadian front, in what was known as Rupert’s Land, … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, military, reading habits, Regency era, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

PEERAGE SUCCESSION + WELCOMING THE RELEASE OF “COURTING LORD WHITMIRE” + A GIVEAWAY

Posted on March 23, 2020 by

In “Courting Lord Whitmire,” there is a lengthy scene where Andrew Whitmire claims his viscountcy before the House of Lords. Although there were some exceptions to a peerage passing to the eldest son, the majority of those written about in … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Inheritance, Living in the Regency, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, titles of aristocracy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Life Below Stairs: Non-Existent Legal Redress

Posted on March 20, 2020 by

Was there legal redress for the servants of Victorian households?  Although there was genuine concern for the conditions in which many of the servants operated, most claimed it was impossible to make laws to protect domestic servants. Those that were … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Meet Francis Grose, Author of the 1811 Dictionary of theVulgar Tongue

Posted on March 18, 2020 by

As my novels are set in the early part of the 1800s, attempting to discover appropriate words to express “dismay” or “disgust” often sends me searching out my online copy of 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, a Dictionary of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, real life tales, research, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Did It Mean to Be a “Gentleman” in Jane Austen’s England?

Posted on March 16, 2020 by

The word “genteel” is an adjective, meaning polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way. Its roots can be found in the late 16th century (in the sense ‘fashionable, stylish’): from French gentil ‘well-born’. From the 17th century … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, customs and tradiitons, film adaptations, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage customs, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , ,